The Official Web Site of the City of Scottsdale, Arizona

East Shea Area Plan

Where is the full policy?

The Guidelines may be viewed at the Planning and Design Library at the Community Design Studio, 7506 E Indian School Road.

What is it?

The East Shea Area Plan contained policies and guidelines that strived to preserve neighborhoods and character in the Shea Boulevard area. This Plan was followed up by the Shea Area Plan in 1993.City Council adopted - June 1, 1987

Where does it apply?

The East Shea Area was generally between 112th Street and the eastern city boundary and Thunderbird and the Doubletree Ranch Road alignment.

Who needs to use it?

City Council, Planning Commission, City staff, Developers, Citizens

Why was it developed?

Recognizing that the area was unique in the community, and it had been experiencing a great amount of development pressure, the City Council directed staff to begin an update to the General Plan for this area. Many development requests were coming forward that were not in conformance with the existing General Plan and the opening of the Mayo Clinic sparked interest in a General Plan update.

Key Points:

The Planning Commission and City Council were concerned about two areas of land subdivided before they were annexed into the City. A land use category was created to address the concerns about environmentally sensitive development in this area. The base category was for 1-2 acre development, but an incentive up to 2 units per lot was provided for development that protected the natural environment.

A "scientific research" designation was shown for land abutting the Mayo Clinic to provide low profile research campus and support facilities for the Mayo Clinic.

A disclaimer alerted potential developers in the East Shea Area that there could be some General Plan changes due to the crafting of the Environmentally Sensitive Lands Ordinance (which was in Committee at that time).

Shea Boulevard was designated a Scenic Corridor.

Several washes were designated Vista Corridors, natural and arid.

Land use intensities of the plan were considered maximums.

Project walls were discouraged and where permitted were to have a maximum average height of 5 feet, setback from external roadways a minimum average of 20 feet. Walls were to have meandered in height and alignment and blend into the natural desert landscape.

A trail system was designated, providing access to the McDowell Mountains.

Review of development proposals with local organized neighborhood associations was encouraged.

Additional infrastructure costs due to increases in densities should have been borne by the landowners/developers, not the existing residents of the East Shea area.

Lots within 150 feet of a low density home occupied prior to the adoption of the East Shea Area Plan should have been at least one acre in size. Lots within 500 feet should have been less than 1/4 acre in size.